This invention relates to speech playback systems and, more particularly, such systems with reduced latent periods prior to and during playback of pre-recorded speech.
Speech playback systems of different types are available for a variety of applications. The design, operation and capabilities of such systems are well known to skilled persons. A typical application involves informational responses to inquiries provided by callers using an "800" type telephone service.
The responses to callers provided by many such systems are subject to delays or latent periods prior to and during playback of recorded messages. Playback systems may typically have a capacity to store and play thousands of recorded messages (e.g., opening messages and responses to caller's inquiries). Such capacity may represent thousands of hours of recorded speech. Speech (e.g., in digital format) may be stored in active solid state memory directly associated with a computer. However, at the present state of the art use of such memory is subject to limitations in capacity and economic tradeoffs. Based on both technical and economic considerations it is typically not practical to provide adequate speech storage capacity in active computer memory. As a result, a separate or associated speech storage facility is relied upon in order to provide adequate speech storage capacity. Such a facility may utilize large capacity electromagnetic or other storage units to which access is provided by a speech data server unit which may be linked to other units of the playback system by a local area network or other communication channel.
Systems of the type described provide adequate capabilities and capacity for speech storage and retrieval. However, the need to retrieve recorded messages from a speech storage facility introduces delays and latent periods prior to and during speech playback. Such delays in initial response and latent periods (e.g., "dead air" gaps) between message portions result from the response times and signal transmission delays inherent in speech retrieval from a typical speech storage facility.
Objects of the present invention are, therefore, to provide new and improved speech playback systems and methods, and such systems and methods having one or more of the following advantages and characteristics:
rapid opening speech playback response; PA1 reduced latent periods during speech playback; PA1 limitation of active computer memory capacity requirements; PA1 improved flow of speech during concatenation; and PA1 economical high-capacity speech storage with rapid opening of speech response. PA1 (a) storing opening fragments of speech elements to permit rapid retrieval access thereto; PA1 (b) storing remaining portions of speech elements to permit retrieval access thereto which is slower than such rapid retrieval access; PA1 (c) determining a responsive message in response to the incoming call; PA1 (d) retrieving an opening fragment stored in step (a); PA1 (e) initiating action to transmit to the caller a message beginning with the opening fragment retrieved in step (d); PA1 (f) retrieving a remaining portion stored in step (b); and PA1 (g) continuing transmission to the caller of the message initiated in step (e) by transmission of the remaining portion retrieved in step (f).